New Delhi: A shocking incident of alleged gang rape has sent shockwaves through Kolkata after a law student reported being assaulted within the premises of South Calcutta Law College.
According to the medical report, the victim’s body has injuries consistent with sexual assault, and the examining doctors also found evidence of “forceful penetration, bite marks and nail scratches” on her body.
The alleged attack took place on Wednesday, June 25th, in a ground-floor guard room, between 7:30 pm and 10:50 pm. “He called me outside the room (Union room) and told me that from the very first day he likes me. After his girlfriend he is in love with someone and that is me and he gave a proposal for marriage,” the woman alleged in her complaint.
“It was within fraction of second…He took me near the washroom and tried to force me with the intention of rousing sex,” the FIR read.
According to the FIR, she pleaded with the perpetrator to let her go, but he didn’t listen to her request. “I touched his feet but he did not let me go, but he did not listen,” she said in her statement.
“He asked the other two to take me inside the guard’s room and make the guard sit outside. They did so,” she said in the written complaint.
According to police sources, the victim alleges that the assault was filmed by the perpetrators, who threatened to release the footage online if she reported the crime, news agency PTI reported.
In her complaint, she alleged that the three accused had kept the mobile footage of the assault and threatened to release it on the internet if she talked to anybody about the incident.
“He showed two videos of me being naked from when he raped me. He threatened to show everyone this video if I do not co-operate and come whenever he calls me,” she said in the written statement.
The alleged perpetrators, an alumnus of the college, have been arrested and remanded to police custody until July 1st. They have been identified as Monojit Mishra, a 31-year-old college staff member and two students, Zaib Ahmed (19) and Pramit Mukherjee (20).
According to the police complaint, the victim reportedly arrived at the college around 4 pm for work and was asked to stay late by Mishra. She was then allegedly confined to the guard room where the assault occurred. The victim subsequently informed her parents, leading to a police complaint on June 26th.
“The three persons have been arrested based on a written complaint lodged by the victim on June 26,” a senior Kolkata police officer said.
Mishra’s lawyer, Azam Khan, denied his client’s involvement, attributing the allegations to a political power struggle. This claim fueled immediate controversy as Mishra’s social media profile reportedly indicated his affiliation with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) youth wing. “These are baseless allegations against my client. He is being framed because of a political tussle,” Khan said.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized on the incident to criticize the state’s law and order situation, highlighting Mishra’s alleged TMC connection. The TMC, however, swiftly distanced itself from Mishra, condemning the assault and demanding strict punishment for those found guilty. TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar emphasised their commitment to fighting social ills and urged a united effort to address such crimes.
“The guilty should get the strictest punishment. Police are investigating. But, unfortunately, the leader of the opposition is launching an attack on a social menace. We should all fight this social menace together,” Majumdar said in the media.
Meanwhile, tensions flared outside Kasba police station, where student and youth wings of the Left, the SFI and DYFI, protested the alleged gang rape. Police dispersed the demonstration using force, resulting in injuries and unspecified detentions. The protests underscore the public outrage and demand for justice following this disturbing event.